Wheel upgrade - RS10 to what?

I'm about to pull the trigger on a caad9-4 which comes with shimano rs10 wheels. As I understand it these are pretty low end wheels. It's my first road bike and I expect to go ahead and ride these for a while but suspect I'll upgrade around summer time. I don't really have any money for the bike much less an expensive set of wheels, however, I'm curious what is out there that I can start to save for. I'm 200 lbs (down from 220 already) and expect/hope to lose another 10 or so if I keep riding so I'll still need a somewhat robust wheel. I have no interest in fancy carbon wheels. Just a decent, fairly light, wheel set. Any suggestions? Also, are the RS10s really all that bad? Thanks.

They aren't that bad. What I would do though is have the shop go over them as they didn't build them. I think this will make them work for you better and go longer before they need to be trued. I rode a set for a couple thousand miles before I needed to true them and I was around 195.

I'd ride the RS10s for a while and see how they work out for you. It'll also let you get used to the ride characteristics of your bike and help you work out what you want to improve. Having said that, I put Easton EA70s straight on my new CAAD10 as I wanted something a little more durable, a touch lighter that could be OK in the occasional crit. I already own a set of lightweight wheels that'll go on it for hill climbs so the Eastons made sense to me. My RS10s are sitting unused in my garage.

Thanks for the reassurance on the RS10s. I've only ridden them briefly and didn't have anything to compare to, but comments here and elsewhere had me worried. I do plan to ride them for a while, but would like to know what I'll need to spend to get a better wheel. And thanks for the tip on having the lbs go over them. Hadn't thought of that.

Originally Posted by cbfight

Mavic Open Pros laced to 105 hubs

Thanks for the tip. Had not seen these before and a bit of Googling suggests they can be had for $300 or less depending on the hub (assuming I found the right ones). I was worried I'd need to drop $600 or more so thanks.

Ride them until they break, then worry about replacing them You should easily be able to get 5,000 miles or more out of them. The RS-10 isn't a terrible stock wheel especially compared to the Jalco's and other marginal wheels some bikes come with. Some new tires will make a big difference in comfort and ride quality as well. With that said, I dented the brake track on the RS-10's on my CAAD. So I happily replaced them with EA-90's and I love them to death. They're smooth and well built. I have no regrets.

However, if you're expecting a night and day difference by switching out wheels, look elsewhere. When I upgraded wheels to my EA-90's, I lost about half a pound of rotating weight. I expected to see a big difference on climbs, I didn't... Bicycle weight is overrated. Rider fitness is underrated.

At this point, just ride them. For many riders (myself included), new wheels are bling.

Having said that, I recently bought a set of wheels made from Mavic Open Pro CD rims and Ultegra hubs from Performance on sale for $241 delivered. I weigh ~200 and wanted the assurance of 32 spoke wheels, plus I was having front hub problems, oh, and by the way, the grey anodized rims look cool. These wheels weigh about the same as the Shimano R500s they replaced. A nice thing about these wheels is that tires mount and dismount really easily; also, they seem to ride more smoothly, though that may just be between my ears.

Think of it this way - you and your bike together weigh about 220 lbs. For $500-$1000, you can take off a pound of that weight by buying lighter wheels. That's about what a half-bottle of water weighs, or about 1/20th of what you're planning on losing. An extra 20 miles/week will make you faster than new wheels.

Think of it this way - you and your bike together weigh about 220 lbs. For $500-$1000, you can take off a pound of that weight by buying lighter wheels. That's about what a half-bottle of water weighs, or about 1/20th of what you're planning on losing. An extra 20 miles/week will make you faster than new wheels.

Good advice. Thanks. Although I wasn't really looking to be faster. On my mtb I replaced the rear wheel and cassette after about 6 months. It was certainly lighter but what I noticed most was how the ride changed - for the better. Whether that was because of the weight or some other characteristic I can't say. All I know is that the bike rode more smoothly (might not be the right word as it wasn't a bumps issue), spun cleaner and was just that much more fun to ride. Probably weight and quality were the issues. I'm guessing that a better wheel on the caad will have a similar effect but maybe not. Anyway, I'm planning to ride the RS10s for a while, but I'll eventually pick up new wheels partly because I want an extra one to use on a trainer and not wear out a road tire. Might as well get a better set when I do.

I had the rs-10s and rode my tarmac for a few months. The only thing that sucks is when you have to replace spokes; the straight-pull shimano spokes are sometimes hard to come by. I upgraded to Easton Vista SLs (1800g, 30mm, and $150/set) and the more recently the Magic Cosmic Carbone SLs. I'm pretty happy with both sets.

Replacing spokes on those wheels is not fun since it may take some time for the shop to get them. Shimano doesn't always have spare spokes in stock. If you have a fallback wheelset then it doesn't really matter since you can ride it until the other wheel can be repaired. If you do end up getting another wheelset I would recommend getting one with spokes that can be replaced easily. Not all factory wheels use proprietary spokes, and some straight-pull spokes can also be easily found.

That would definitely be a solid wheelset, and more solid with 14/15G double-butted spokes. DT Swiss now has 350 hubs which are much more reasonably priced than their other hubs. With price not a concern I would personally choose Dura-Ace hubs.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll keep these in mind. Some are rather expensive though. $600 is about my top end for wheels. Anyone have any experience with Rol race slr wheels? http://www.rolwheels.com/rol_race_slr_wheels.php Says $650 a set and maybe could be found on sale somewhere.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll keep these in mind. Some are rather expensive though. $600 is about my top end for wheels. Anyone have any experience with Rol race slr wheels? http://www.rolwheels.com/rol_race_slr_wheels.php Says $650 a set and maybe could be found on sale somewhere.

I don't have any experience with those wheels, but a 30mm rim with 24/28 spokes should be good for a 200lb rider. You may want to consider brass nipples at least on the rear drive side and maybe even more sturdy spokes on that side too. 1x or 2x lacing on the front instead of radial is also something to consider.